Dene Tha' First Nation Meander River Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade

The Dene Tha' First Nation's Meander River wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) has difficulty meeting Wastewater System Effluent Regulations and has reached the end of its service life. Meander River requires a new WWTP with an average treatment capacity of 185 m3/day with ability to manage peak hourly flow of 738m3/day (20-year design horizon). The design for the new WWTP is a Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) consisting of: a stainless steel influent screen, a compactor, two anoxic basins, two aeration basins, two MBR basins to contain the membrane trains (one membrane train can handle the maximum daily flow), permeate pumps (duty/standby), sludge pumps (duty/standby), fine bubble aeration diffusers, membrane and reactor blowers (duty/standby), Chemical Systems (pumping systems, tubing, tanks), aerated sludge storage tank, below grade equalization tank, and PVC Process piping and marine grade process tanks. The new WWTP would be built in a similar area to the existing WWTP, and some of the existing structures may be repurposed, while others would be decommissioned. The MBR WWTP will require an approximate area of  20.0 m x 16.0 m.  Outside of this area there will also be a new lift station, a new generator, new discharge piping to Hay River, and an associated outfall. The existing WWTP will be decommissioned and repurposed as deemed hydraulically suitable, the existing chemical building will be repurposed as storage, and the existing piping and lift station will be decommissioned.  A new 200 m effluent discharge line to the Hay River will be installed along the same route as the existing discharge line and the old line decommissioned. The discharge line will terminate in an outfall pipe that will discharge to the top of water level in the Hay River.  The existing WWTP and effluent outfall will remain in operation until the new system is fully functional. It should be noted that the design is currently ongoing and more details will follow in the next stage of the environmental review.